Eyes

Hair

Origin

Origin

Universe

Place of Birth

Creators

Contents

History

Early Years

Like all the Elders of the Universe, the Ord Zyonz's origin is lost in the early history of the universe. It is known that he is one of the oldest living beings in the universe. Like other Elders, he is the survivor of one of the intelligent races that evolved in one of the first galaxies to form after the “Big Bang”, the cataclysmic event in which the universe was created. Although his race became extinct and even his native galaxy died as the ages passed, the Ord Zyonz, like the other Elders, lived on, having become virtually immortal. As the relatively few survivors of the earliest period of the universe, the Elders regarded themselves as figuratively being brothers.[2]

The Gardener

Virtually immortal, the Gardener devoted his life to the creation of natural beauty by sowing the seeds of plants, flowers, and trees upon barren or devastated worlds. The number of worlds he has turned into fertile planet-wide gardens over the eons is countless. He amassed a knowledge of botany second to none and collected billions of different seeds in his travels. Using his advanced cultivation techniques, he could cover a barren Earth-sized planet with lush vegetation in the space of a year. [2]In recent millennia, the Gardener acquired one of the Infinity Gems, then believed a Soul-Gem, an alien artifact that enabled its possessor to manipulate the fabric of time and channel cosmic energy. The Gardener employed it to stimulate the growth of his seeds beyond their normal rate and to traverse space without a starship.[3]

Adam Warlock

One of the first known uses was when the Gardener used his Gem's power to combat the Stranger, another powerful extraterrestrial possessing an Infinity Gem. Believing that he "corrupted" the gem by its use as a weapon, the Gardener abandoned it.[3]

Later, the Gardener replaced his Gem with the one once worn by the golden Earth-being Adam Warlock which had been buried with his body on Counter-Earth.[4]
Warlock's frequent employment of the gem as a weapon does not matter to the Gardener as long as he himself has not used it in that way.

Hulk

When the Hulk traveled to bury Jarella on her home world of K'ai, but was was attacked by rocks, plants and monsters. He defeated them all and is faced by the Gardener.[5] The Gardener locked the Hulk with branches and changed his persona to Bruce Banner. The Gardener left ordering his beast to attack the K'aitians. Despite the Gardener's formidable power, Hulk defeated him and grabbed the gem from the Gardener's forehead. Hulk threw the gem into the planet's core, turning Jarella's world into a garden once more.[6]

Secret Wars

Killing Galactus

Upon being contacted by the other Elders of the Universe, the Gardener agreed to partake in aggressive activity against the alien being Galactus and then the universe itself in order to recreate reality.[8] The plan was foiled by Galactus' former Herald, Silver Surfer, and his ally, Mantis and the Gardener was converted to energy and consumed by Galactus along with the other four Elders[9], yet they were later forced out of Galactus by Master Order and Lord Chaos who also gave them five of the Infinity Gems, one for each of the Elders.[10]

Thanos Quest

The Gem in possession of the Gardener was revealed to be the Time Gem, he held it for a time unaware of its true powers using it to cultivate his garden. This was until Thanos of Titan came to bargain for it. The Gardener refused to simply surrender his gem. He bound Thanos in vines, but he broke free and then accelerated the Time Gem using the Power Gem, amplifying the Gardeners plant growing powers causing vines and branches to grow from his body trapping in place and he simply took the stone.[11]

Infinity War

The Contemplator replayed the cosmic recording of the The Gardener meeting with the Manifestations in Overspace that took place many years earlier.[12]

Morwen

Deadpool Corps

Later, when the real Contemplator organized the Deadpool Corps to oppose a cosmic threat the Awareness, the Gardener assisted Champion in testing their mettle.[14]After being rescued by the Gardener, Champion tracks down Deadpool at a bar and begins to fight, but is eventually convinced to join the team under the name Championpool.[15] He is soon tricked into going to fight on another deserted planet, only to find that there are no warriors to fight and his rocket cycle is without fuel, leaving him stranded.[16]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Like all Elders, the Gardener was connected to the energy of the universe due to his single-minded devotion to his hobby. In addition, as with the Grandmaster's pact with Death, all Elders are unaffected by aging, disease, or toxins.[2]